The Meaning in a Pauly Shore Movie
by sendtherain
Summary: Iris asks Eddie out on a dare, which elicits an unexpected reaction from Barry. High School AU. The title is from Clueless.


Iris had spent all of AP Physics making eyes at the new guy, Eddie Thawne, because Linda had bet her $10 she'd be too chicken to ask him out. She hadn't been, so now she had cash to go to a movie with him. What she didn't have was any clue what today's lesson was about. Normally she'd just borrow Barry's notes when she got home – hello, she'd never even have made it into an AP science class if not for his tutoring, and she needed to be there because she knew how awkward he was about making new friends – but that seemed out of the question today.

Because for some weird reason, when she tried to talk to him after class, he seemed… kind of pissed? He'd even rejected their usual carpool, stammering about some project he had to work on with Cisco as he walked backwards into someone's locker. It was a passable excuse, but she definitely heard him mutter something like, "Why don't you take Eddie instead?" under his breath.

So he didn't like Eddie much, that was for sure. But what's not to like? He was friendly to everyone and actually pretty smart, despite seeming like a typical jock at first. Maybe he just hated that Eddie called him 'Bear' when everyone knew that was what Iris called him. She was tempted to chalk it up to his overprotectiveness, an annoying habit he picked up from her father, but not even Joe West would find a simple movie invite cause for alarm.

She tried talking to Caitlin, her back-up passenger, about it on the drive home… Which went about as well as can be expected. Caitlin was a fair-minded, no-nonsense kind of girl – Iris really admired that about her. It's just that she wasn't the kind of person you could really speculate with.

"I don't know Barry well enough yet to judge his moods," she'd said. Which sounded like "I don't gossip about my friends" to Iris' ears, but that was probably her own guilty mind talking.

So she dropped Caitlin off, feeling no more settled than before, and went home to crack open a Physics textbook and stare at it until Barry got home. Which he didn't do for hours. Her dad insisted he had probably lost track of time building a robot from scratch or something, but Iris couldn't help feeling slighted. It wasn't like they had plans or anything, but they always did their homework together on school nights. She helped him understand Shakespeare and Isabel Allende while he translated numbers and equations for her; that was the system.

He finally wandered in around 10pm, and she fixed him with a death glare the moment he set down his backpack.

"And just where have you been?" she snapped, with more bite than was strictly necessarily. "I called you three times."

He slid next to her on the couch and glanced at her blank page of notes with that knowing look of his that was so infuriating. But then he gave her a sheepish smile, the kind that threatened to neutralize all her accusations.

"Sorry I was kind of a jerk earlier," he offered, rubbing the back of his neck with such vigor she was afraid he might burst a blood vessel. "I was at Cisco's, though."

"Only so you could keep avoiding me," she insisted. She didn't want to ask the next question, but it'd been gnawing at her all day. It was common knowledge that you should never go to bed angry, and she didn't think you should go confused as hell either. "Do you have a problem with me dating someone?"

The tips of his ears turned bright pink at the suggestion. "Wh – Why would I? It's fine. Eddie's fine."

Not very convincing, but she'd take it for now. "Good. Because it's not a big deal at all. I basically only asked him on a dare, and it'd be more fun to go in a group, anyway. Do you wanna come? Maybe this weekend?"

She could feel her words running together and wished she could start the conversation over. Why had she kept talking? Why'd she ask him to comealong? It's not like he had any interest in being a third wheel.

Barry seemed to agree wholeheartedly. "That's crazy," he scoffed. "Eddie thinks it's a date. He won't want a brother type tagging along."

"You're not my brother, Bear." She started to give him a shove, but the blush had spread to his cheeks by then and she suddenly didn't feel so playful. Instead her hand lingered on his shoulder, which was even worse. Iris quickly wrenched it away and stared straight at the muted scenes from Encino Man playing on the television.

"We could make it a double date! I'm sure Linda would be happy to join." She willed herself to be quiet, but her mouth just wouldn't listen. "I'm always telling her what an adorable nerd you are, and she definitely agrees. Do you think she likes you? Do you like her?"

"Whoa, stop!" He took a deep breath, which gave her a few seconds to collect herself before whatever came next. "I don't like Linda, okay? I mean, I do, but not like that. She's not my type."

"What is your type, then? It's not like you've dated anyone."

He stared at her like a deer in headlights, and she mentally kicked herself. This was the part where Iris, on any other day, would steer the conversation to a safer topic. Even though she was constantly wondering why someone as warm, funny and smart as Barry never had a girlfriend…She didn't really want to know the answer.

She knew that one day he'd find his perfect genius girl and they'd make perfect genius babies together, and she'd be so very happy for them. She'd just rather put that day off as long as possible. And now she'd stuck her foot in her mouth, and he'd probably tell her he was in love with Felicity Smoak but didn't know how to ask her out. So Iris would have to help him win his dream girl like the best friend she was, and everything would be terrible wonderful from then on.

"I've never dated anyone…" He said after a pause that lasted a lifetime. "Because there's already someone I want to be with. I just don't think she wants the same thing."

There it was: the end of life as she knew it. But she steeled herself anyway and spoke as honestly as she could. "Now that's crazy. You're the most amazing guy I know. Who wouldn't want to date you?"

"Would you? Want to, I mean?"

Her heart raced as she dared herself to look back at him. When her eyes met his, she saw that he was every bit as nervous as she was. She had to stifle a laugh of relief for fear it'd scare him off. That's what she'd been putting off all this time? She wished she had started asking boys out a lot sooner, if it meant getting this reaction out of him years ago.

"I guess Linda can keep her money."

His face crinkled in bewilderment. She loved it when that happened. "What?"

"Don't ask questions, Bear. Just shut up and kiss me."


End file.
